Stabilizing boat suspender



United States Patent STABILIZING BOAT SUSPENDER Charles Hollerith, Jackson, Mich., assignor to Walstrom Products, Inc., a corporation of Michigan Filed Mar. 25, 1957, Ser. No. 648,263

8 Claims. (Cl. 9-43) The present invention relates to improvements in boat raising and lowering accessories being especially designed for use with a davit and block and tackle gearing for the raising and lowering of a dinghy, life boat, or the like. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may find application in other fields Where an advantage will result from raising the pivotal connection between the load and the suspension structure above the center of gravity of a load.

It is the object of the invention to provide a stabilizer for detachable connections to an inboard ring generally anchored adjacent the keel of the water craft for shifting the pivotal connection of the suspension structure relative to the center of gravity of the water craft whereby the Water craft maintains a substantially even keel and the possibility of taking on water during the handling of the water craft from the davit is materially lessened.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stabilizer which may be readily adjusted to the inboard suspension anchor of water craft of varying shapes of bottom.

A further object is to provide an improved device of the type described which may be readily and economically manufactured yet is of light weight, rugged and of adjustable construction and completely removable from the water craft when out of use.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following specification and the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein one embodiment of the invention is illustrated,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the invention showing its relation to the inboard ring and the boat bottom, and

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view with a portion shown in section taken on line IIII of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the main structure of the stabilizer 10 is preferably fabricated from aluminum with the central body portion comprising a pair of similar elongated upright plates 12 and 14 having aligned holes to receive the bolts 16, 18 and 20. The bolts 16 are three in number with the holes therefor conforming in location to the holes in a cast aluminum spacer block 22, the contour of the surface 24 of the block 22 preferably constituting a seat and conforming in shape to the inboard ring 26 attached into the keel at opposite ends of the boat. Tubular spacers 28 on the bolts 18 and 20 complete the spacing of the plates 12 and 14 with the nuts 30 holding the parts in their assembled relationship.

A pair of cast aluminum bracing legs 32 have tongue portions 34 each disposed with a close sliding fit between the plates 12 and 1 4 with vertical flange portions 36 disposed on opposite sides of the tongue portions 34 and abutting the Vertical edges of the plates 12 and 14. A bolt 38, threaded on opposite ends to receive the nuts 40, is disposed in holes in the bosses 42 of the legs 32. With the nuts 40 loosened, the legs 32 may be slid up and down as a unit within the clearance provided between the bolt 18 and the upper bolt 16 to thus adjust the location of the feet 42 into proper position relative to the surface 44 of the boat and the surface 24 of the ring 26;

With the legs 32 properly positioned, the loose pin 46 may be inserted into aligned holes in the lower end of the plates 12 and 14 and through the eye of the ring 26. A groove 48 in the pin 46 engages with the eye-defining surface of the ring 26 to hold the pin 46 in position under a load. A flexible member 50 is shown attached between the pin 46 and the plate 14 to avoid loss of the pin. 46 when the stabilizer 10 is disconnected from the ring 26.

The upper end 52, to which the load lowering and raising means is to be attached, may take numerous forms. For example, it may be in the form of the ring 26 to take the hook of a block and tackle gearing or, as illustrated, the end 52 may be so constructed as to constitute the lower block of a block and tackle gearing. In the illustrated embodiment the shaft 54 supports a pair of pulleys 56 and 58 through which the rope 60 runs and extends between the upper pulleys (not shown) of the block and tackle and the pulleys 56 and 58, all in a well known manner. A spacer plate 62 is shown spacing the pulleys 56 and 58 with its lower end carried upon the bolt 20 and spaced by the bushings 28.

It will be understood that with the stabilizer 10 attached to the inboard rings 26 by spacing the pins 46 through the eyes of the rings 26 at opposite ends of a boat, the pivotal connection between the suspension means extended from the davit has been shifted from the rings 26 to the axis of the shaft 54. This arrangement has the effect of placing the pivotal connection above the center of gravity of the boat and in this manner the boat is stabilized in its state of suspension with the result that in lowering and raising the boat to and from the water a relatively even keel is maintained.

The lower ends of the plates 12 and 14 provide a vertical slot in which the ring 26 is snugly received to prevent the stabilizer 10 from swinging relative to the keel and positions the same at to the keel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and patentable is:

l. A stabilizer for a suspended load having a pivotal point of attachment to the load below the center of gravity of the load, comprising a rigid member having a central upright body portion, means at the lower end of said body portion pivotally connecting said body portion to the load, a load suspension portion at the upper end of said body portion for supporting said body portion at a point above the center of gravity of the load, and rigid bracing leg portions fixedly secured to said body portion and extending outwardly and downwardly therefrom on opposite sides thereof for abutting engagement with the load at points remote from the axis of pivotal attachment to prevent pivoting of the load with respect to the body portion.

2. A stabilizer as defined in claim 1 wherein said leg portions are vertically adjustable along said body portion, and adjustable means for attaching said leg portions to said body portion.

3. A stabilizer as defined in claim 1 wherein said load suspension portion at said upper end of said body portion is in the form of a tackle block.

'4. In combination with a dinghy, a stabilizer for the suspension of the dinghy or other water craft from a davit, the dinghy having an inboard suspension anchor connected adjacent the keel for the attachment of the suspension structure, said stabilizer comprising a rigid member having a central upright body and a pair of rigid leg portions fixedly secured thereto and having feet to abuttingly engage the dinghy on opposite sides of said anchor, said upright body portion having means at its lower end for releasable connection to said anchor, and

asuspension point connection at the upper end of said body and above the center of gravity of the dinghy.

'5. A stabilizer as defined in claim 4, said legs being vertically adjustable upon said upright body to engage with the dinghy in opposed bracing relationship when said upright is connected to said anchor to restrict rocking of said upright aboutsaid anchor.

6. A stabilizer as defined in claim 4 wherein said central upright body portion comprises a pair of spaced plates, said 'leg portions having tongue portions thereof slidably disposed between said plates, flanges on said leg portions engaging the sides of said plates, and adjustable meansfor clamping said leg portions against said flanges to hold the same rigid with said upright body portion.

" 7. Astabilizer for a dinghy and other water craft for in raising and lowering the dinghyfrom a davit and attachable to an inboard ring connectedto the keel comprising a central upright member defined by a pair of spaced plates, a tackle block at the upper end of said member spacing the upper end of said plates, a spacing ring seat member at the lower end of said upright member and spacing the lower end of said plates, a pair of legs having feet disposed upon opposite sides of said upright member, each 'leg having a tongue portion disposed between said plates and a flange portion engaging the vertical edges of said plates, an adjustment and clamping stud extending between said plates and attached to said legs for adjustably clamping said flanges to said plates between said upper and lower ends of said upright member to position said feet for engagement with the 4 e bottom structure of a dinghy on opposite sides of said ring with said ring in said seat and attached to the lower end of said upright member, and a removable pin disposed in aligned holes in the lower end of said plate and below said seat and adapted to pass through the eye of said ring to connect said ring to said upright member.

8. In combination witha dinghy, a stabilizer for the suspension of the dinghy or other water craft from a davit, the dinghy having an inboard suspension anchor connected adjacent the keel for 'the attachment of the suspension structure, said stabilizer comprising a'rigid member having a central upright body and a pair of leg portions connectedthereto and having feet to abuttingly engage the dinghy on opposite sides of said anchor, said upright body portion having means at its lower end for releasable connection to said anchor, a suspension point connection at the upper end of said body and above the center of gravity of the dinghy, said body portion having portions at said lower end to contact the sidesof said anchor to prevent rotation of said stabilizer about a vertical axis relative to said anchor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 479,387 Bowring July 19, ;1892 2,650,378 Weinstein Sept. 1, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 458,936 Great Britain- Dec. 30, 1936 884,678 France Aug. 24, 1943 I, I, t 

